1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of devices for bending and shaping a baseball cap visor or bill, and more particularly, to a device to permanently hold and maintain the baseball cap type visor in a desired shape as it is worn. The visor-bending device, when applied to a visor, also ornamentally decorates the visor.
2. Description of Prior Art
Various ways to bend and shape the visor of a ball cap have been used for some time. Such a visor""s distinguishing characteristic typically includes a fabric covered canopy made of cardboard or plastic designed to shade the eyes of the wearer. The visor is affixed to a portion of the rim of the ball cap. Other similar visors are affixed to hat gear that have no dome for the head of a user, but rather are affixed to a rim that fits around the user""s head over the eyes, the crown of the user""s head being exposed. Preferably, the visor of a hat serves the functional purpose of shading and protecting portions of a person""s face from the sun, wind, rain and other elements.
The visor is usually made of a material to give it stiffness. The visor is often manually bent to a desired curvature according to the tastes of the user. Some users use different sizes of rubber bands to bind the visor in a certain shape for later wear, once the rubber bands are removed. Another method of shaping the visor is to insert the visor into a visor-bending device. The wearer then slips the visor out of the bending device and puts on the cap. The curvature, however, over time gets out of shape as the hat is either worn or otherwise tossed around. Maintaining the exact curvature the user would like is a constant effort.
Unfortunately, there are no known visor-bending devices that can maintain a certain curvature of a visor while being worn as well as stored, and ornamentally decorate the visor. The present invention provides a device for a precise bending and shaping of a baseball cap type visor to a desired curvature or other shape that can then be maintained as the visor is worn while also presenting a pleasing and esthetic enhancement to the visor.
Many devices for baseball cap type visor shaping exist in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,652 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,146 both issued to Levin relate to a cap visor shaping, transport, storage, washing and/or display device including a lateral member with two end members extending up to retain a cap visor with the lateral or central member being arched upwardly in the center with the end members forming a shoulder to receive both sides of a cap visor. An elastic strap extends over the top of the visor to bend the visor to a desired curvature.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,367 issued to McCallister teaches a similar device for bending a cap visor. The device includes first and second interconnected block members each having an S-shaped portion upwardly extending from the outer edge thereof that forms a groove on the upper surface for receiving a side edge of a cap visor. A threaded shaft extends from one of the block members and alternately continues with a threaded bore on the other block member so that rotation of the screw in the shaft moves the blocks closer or farther apart. A user can bend a cap visor to a desired curvature by securing the visor within the block grooves and moving the blocks a select distance until the desired curvature is achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,575 issued to Scharrenberg relates to another apparatus and method of reforming cap visors. The device includes a visor shaped upper member having a pair of adjustable retention plate strips that snap to each other for bending and retaining a cap visor. The pair of elongated retention plate devices are attached to the upper visor member that is laid on top of the visor. The visor member then bends the cap visor as the two retention plate strips are attached together at the desired juncture the user demands.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,063 issued to Fricano relates to a combination cap hanger and cap visor press that includes spring loaded gripping members with a curved form to receive a cap visor. The curvature of the gripping members and the force of the spring combine to press the cap visor into a desired shape. The device has a hanging member portion that is formed in the gripping member to allow the cap to be hung by the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,508 issued to Powers is basically a retention clip conveniently located within a vehicle to insert the cap visor and support the cap out of the way while not being worn.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,589 issued to Biehl relates to a cap press including a cylindrical base portion for stretching the body of the cap and a visor clamp with a pair of jaws operably connected to press the cap visor into a predetermined shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,719 issued to Otteson et al relates to a cap shaping and drying device having a mesh support frame for the crown and a wire framed projection member for supporting and shaping the visor and is particularly useful for allowing the crown and cap to keep the shape the user intends after washing and drying time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,428 issued to Robak is essentially another cap visor shaping device that consists of a rectangular arched body with a molded hollow sleeve on each end and a molded hanger type hook in the center portion of the body. On one end is a cylindrical sleeve for inserting the visor of a cap and on the other end, is another cylindrical sleeve to insert the visor of another cap for shaping, and lastly the device has a hanger feature between the two cylinders to hang the hat on a clothes hanger rod.
Thus, many different devices exist in prior art for bending and shaping the baseball cap type visor, although none address the significant advantage of permanently maintaining the shape of a baseball cap type visor while at the same time having an additional significant advantage of being suitable to be worn attached to the visor to present a pleasing and aesthetic look to the eye. The present disclosure provides a device for a precise bending and shaping of a baseball type cap visor to a desired curvature or other shapes which can then be maintained as the visor is worn or not while also presenting a pleasing and esthetic enhancement to the baseball cap type visor.
The present invention addresses this need in the art by providing a slender arc of a conformable material which may be shaped by the user and then retain its shape. The arc of conformable material, such as for example metal, further includes end pieces on either end of the arc which adapted to clip securely onto the side edges of a common baseball cap type visor. The ends are further adapted, if desired, to receive an ornamentation, such as for example the emblem of the user""s favorite team, and the like. The arc may be adapted to reside underneath the visor, so that only the ornamentation is visible to the casual observer, or the arc may fit over the visor or bill of the cap, so that ornamentation may be placed anywhere along the side-to-side aspect of the bill.
It is therefor an object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor that is lightweight, inexpensive and unobtrusive, suitable to be worn with the visor head gear.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor which will afford the user a way to make old, worn out, flimsy visors feel new and stiff again while being worn.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor that feels good and tight to the user""s head when worn.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor makes the visor bendable to almost any bend the user desires, not just an arch, as it is worn.
It is an object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor that will afford the user a way to precisely and permanently maintain the exact bend of a baseball type cap visor the user desires when worn or not.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor which does not have to be attached every time the user stores the baseball cap type visor or detached every time the user decides to wear the visor head gear.
It is still further an object of this invention to provide a device when applied to a baseball cap type visor that when worn on the baseball cap type visor has a pleasing, aesthetic, ornamental look to the eye.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a device for a baseball cap type visor that may have interchangeable ornamental fastening members that can be replaced with other ornamentally designed members the user desires.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a device for a baseball cap type visor that may have interchangeable ornamental fastening members that can be replaced with other ornamental designed members used for advertising.